The Ministry of Culture has also filed a criminal complaint against two directors of the MUO

Olomouc - Minister of Culture Antonín Staněk (ČSSD) filed a criminal complaint not only against the former director of the National Gallery in Prague (NGP) Jiří Fajt but also against two former directors of the Museum of Art in Olomouc. These are the dismissed Michal Soukup and his predecessor Pavel Zatloukal, said the ministry's spokesperson Martha Häckl today. Zatloukal led the museum for 23 years and is regarded as one of the leading art historians. Today he denied that anything illegal occurred at the museum during his leadership. Soukup told ČTK that they would defend themselves legally.

"Two criminal complaints were filed against Jiří Fajt, at the Municipal Public Prosecutor's Office in Prague, and on the same day one complaint was filed against Michal Soukup and Pavel Zatloukal at the Regional Public Prosecutor's Office in Ostrava," the ministry's spokesperson stated. An employee at the Ostrava regional public prosecutor's office confirmed to ČTK that the office received the complaints, which have been assigned to a local prosecutor.

The current director of the museum, Michal Soukup, was dismissed by Staněk on Thursday together with NGP director Jiří Fajt. He questioned their ability to manage the gallery and museum economically, pointing to the results of inspections in both institutions. On the same day, he announced that he had filed two criminal complaints against Fajt and that a third was being prepared, but he did not disclose against whom it would be filed.

Dismissed director Michal Soukup, who had led the museum since April 2013, learned about the criminal complaint from ČTK. "I have no words to say about this minister, who degrades this institution, degrades all the people who have worked to the best of their abilities and with the best conscience and knowledge for the Czech state as a certain project. We do not know what Mr. Staněk's intentions are, but we will certainly defend ourselves legally," said Soukup.

His predecessor Pavel Zatloukal, who led the museum from 1990 to 2013 and significantly contributed to the establishment of the unique Archdiocesan Museum in Olomouc, has not yet been informed about the criminal complaint. "I have a hunch about what it could be, but I cannot comment on it since I haven't read it," Zatloukal told ČTK. He denied that anything illegal occurred during his term. "That's complete nonsense; nothing could have been violated. Everything underwent approval processes from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Culture, so nothing could have been violated," Zatloukal added.

The actions of the Minister of Culture and former Olomouc mayor Antonín Staněk have sparked strong emotions and have contributed to tension within the Museum of Art itself. Employees at the museum previously called for the minister's resignation, and after the director's dismissal, they publicly asked him for a personal meeting to explain the reasons behind his actions. The minister appointed the current deputy of Soukup, Ondřej Zatloukal, who is Pavel Zatloukal's son, to manage the Museum of Art during the selection process.

Current events are related to the construction of the Central European Forum Olomouc (SEFO), for which the government recently allocated 600 million crowns. The project for a unique exhibition of Central European visual art was confirmed by representatives of the Visegrad Group countries with a signature in 2008 in Olomouc. The museum has been planning it for over ten years and has been purchasing land around its building for this purpose. The form of SEFO was developed years ago by architect Jan Šépka, but the Minister of Culture decided last November to announce an architectural competition. As a result, the museum now has to deal with complicated legal obligations.